Garment construction



May22, 1945. H. FINK ET AL 2,376,589

GARMENT CONSTRUCTION Filed July 21, 1945 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented May 22, 1945 GARMENT CONSTRUCTION Harry Fink. and Michael Sottosanti, New York, N. Y.

Application July 21, 1943, Serial No. 495,588

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to clothing construction and more particularly to garments having constrictable portions, adapted tobe altered in theeffective circumference thereof to conform to the body of the wearer or portions thereof.

In the clothing art it is desirable that certain garment portions be adjustable in size, for the purpose of enabling one size of a garment to fit a range of sizes of wearers. This results in a smaller and. more flexible inventory of ready to wear garments with a consequent reduced cost of manufacture and distribution. Such adjustability of size is also desirable since it permits the wearer to make his or her own adjustment to accommodate changes in. size due to growth, diurnal changes, and even shrinkage of the gar ment should this occur.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a novel and useful garment construction which permits rapid, easy, and convenient adjustment in size, and requiring no tools or special skill.

An advantage'of the present construction lies in the fact that adjustment in size canbe made while the garment is on thewearer, without undoing the externally exposed portions thereof. Thus it becomes possible to adjust the girth of the waistportion of a skirt or trousers to accommodate the change caused by eating or exer cise.

Another object herein lies in the provision of structure of the class described which uses a minimum of inflexible parts resulting in greater comfort when the garment is worn. Since such inflexible parts are usually composed of metal, the present construction may be fabricated at reduced cost and under conditions when the use of metal is restricted.

A still further object of this invention lies in the provision of size adjusting structure which does not require any substantial departure from the normal external appearance of the garment so that the garment may incorporate any desired styling so as to present an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The finished garment in any adjusted position thereof presents a neat and trim appearance.

In the present invention two overlapping girth end portions are provided with cooperating retaining structures or fasteners which are used to maintain the parts in proper position, simplicity of manufacture and use results from the fact that after originally donning the garment, to provide an adjustment in size, only one of the retaining structures need be manipulated, the operation of the other being substantially automatic.

The foregoing objects and other ends and advantages will more fully appear in the progress of this disclosure and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts'throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary right side view in perspective of an embodiment of the invention as incorporated with the waist portion of a nether garment such as a skirt or slack. In this view the parts are in an open or disengaged position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view as would be seen from the plane 2-2 on Figure 1 if the parts were in an enlarged position thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view as seen from the plane 33 on Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary left side elevational view of the garment shown in Figurel in an engaged, closed or connected position thereof, as might be seen from the rear of Figure 1 if the parts were in the connected position thereof.

In accordance with the invention the garment generally indicated by reference character Ill may havea body portion H to the upper edge 12 of {so which may be secured in any suitable manner a band l3. The band l3 in the present embodiment of the invention serves as a waist band and as is well known in the art to which this invention relates may be of laminated construction including the outer ply M and the inner ply iii.

The band 13' maybe secured to edge 12 by means of a row of stitches it.

The band 13 is preferably composed of flexible material and is discontinuous having a first end l1 and a second end l8 adapted to be brought overlapping fly or placket structure.

into overlapping relation with end ill. The body portion I I is preferably coextensive with the band to have a first body vertical edge l9 and a second body vertical edge 20, and these edges forman The inner surfaces of the garment I0 at and adjoining the edges l9 and 20 may be provided with facings 2| and 22. The inner surface of the first end I! of the band l3 may have a reinforcing facing tions 24 and 25. The stitched reinforced slitted portions 24 and 25 have outer ends 26, 21; and inner ends 28, 29 respectively. The edges of the stitched reinforced slitted portions 24 and 25 may be reinforced in any suitable manner as for example by buttonhole stitching.

The second or normally inner end I8 of the band I3 has secured thereto a pair of vertically superposing spaced connection elements 30 and 3| which are in. the form of enlargements capable of penetrating the slits 24 and 25 respectively and slidable therealong. The limit of movement of the connecting elements 30 and 3| is reached in a direction outward of the end I'I when the means 32 and 33 for securing the connecting elements abuts against the ends 26 and 21 respectively; and in a direction inward of the end II when the means 32 and 33 abuts against the ends 28 and 29. The connectin elements 30 and 3| are vertically spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to the interspacing between the stitched reinforced slitted portions 24 and 25. The effective size of the connection elements 30 and 3| is preferably small enough so that they are easily passed through the stitched reinforced slitted portions 24 and 25 by twisting them and by distorting the band end I! when the engagement is made and yet they are large enough so that they will not accidentally become engaged.

The first or normally outer end ll of the band I3 inwardly of the facing 23, and the end of the end portion i8 are provided with cooperating detachably attachable means generally indicated by numeral 34. said means comprises a plurality of members 35, 36, and 37, while on the band end I8 said means includes the member 38. The members 35, 36 and 3'! are vertically disposed with relation to the strip 39. The members 35, 36, and 31 may be formed of vertically arranged short pieces of tape about the upper and lower ends of which the upper and lower horizontal longitudinal edges 40 and 4| of the strip 39 are folded and secured by the rows of stitches 42 and 43 forming the upper and lower laps 44 and 45. This structure may thus be made as a continuous strip (not shown) and a portion of suitable length containing the desired number of members corresponding to the members 35, 36, and 31 may be severed therefrom and secured to the inner ply I5 of the band I3 by the rows of stitches 46 and 41. The length of such severed portion will .be affected by the total range of effective size adjustment of the band I3 which it is desired shall occur in the finished garment I0. That is to say, such size range will be affected by the distance between the member nearest the end I1 and the member farthest from the last mentioned member. In the present illustrative embodiment that would be the distance between the right hand vertical edges of the members 35 and 37.

The member 38, best seen in Figures 1 and 2 is of hook shape the tongue portion 48 is engageable behind any of the members 35, 36, or 31 while the shank portion 49 is secured to, and between the two ply reinforcement 59, which is in turn secured between the plies I4 and I5 at the end I8 of the band I3.- The reinforcement 50 permits the member 38 to be positively secured and also permits easy fiexure of the reinforcement so that the tongue portion 48 may be easily manipulatable into engagement with the members 35, 36 or 31, even when the band I3 is of relatively heavy material.

On the band end I! as described As seen in Figure 1 the invention is illustrated in connection with a garment in which the fly or placket 5| is positioned on the left side, the front of the garment being arranged in overlapping relation to the placket and extending from the right in said figure. A suggested manner of use follows. After the garment I0 is donned either by lowering over the head of the wearer or by stepping into it, the member 38 is hooked into any one of the members 35, 36, or 31 to,obtain the necessary waist girth adjustment. Then the connecting elements 30 and 3| are inserted outwardly through the stitched reinforced slitted portions 25 and 24, within and along which they will properly position themselves. Subsequent adjustment being desirable it becomes necessary only to shift the member 38 to another one of the members 35, 36, or 31 and the connecting elements 30 and 3| will automatically slide along the stitched reinforced slitted portions 24 and 25 to the newly adjusted position thereby maintaining the band I3 and the associated parts in a neat and trim condition. For the accomplishment of this function, it will be noted that the effective length of the stitched reinforced slitted portions 24 and 25 is substantially equal to the distance between the most remote of the tape fasteners or members 35 and 31.

While we have illustrated an embodiment of the invention in which only one fly or placket 5| is shown, obviously a greater number may be used where desired, or the one placket or fly may be located at any side of the garment. Furthermore, this structure can be used on other garment portions such as cufis on trousers or sleeves.

By reason of the fact that the ends of the band I3 are secured together in an overlapping position the end IT can always be caused to lie smoothly and neatly since the end I! is slidably secured in place for sliding movement in a horizontal plane. Another advantage which flows from this construction lies in the fact that manufacture is simplified, because there need not be precise spacing between the two sets of retaining means exemplified by the members 35, 36 and 31 and the stitched reinforced slitted portions 24 and 25.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact constructional details shown as obvious minor variations will occur to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

We claim:

1. In a garment construction, said garment having a waist portion defining a tubular upper end portion of said garment in combination with a band having upper and lower edges, said lower edge portion of said band being stitched to said tubular upper end portion of said garment, said tubular upper end portion and said bandhaving respectively overlapping portions, the overlapping end portions of said band defining end portions having associated and cooperating fasteners, one of said band end portions having, at least, one stitched reinforced slitted portion extending longitudinally of said band in combination with a spaced series of tape fasteners also arranged and secured in position serially longitudinally of said band, said slitted reinforced portion being as long as the distance between the most remote of the series of tape fasteners, said other band end portion having a hook secured to its end portion and adapted to engage selectively any one of the series of tape fasteners, said band end portion having the hook being also provided equal to the length of the distance between the most remote of the tape fasteners.

2. In a garment construction, said garment having a tubular upper end portion in combination with a band securedto said upper end portion, said tubular upper end portion having overlapping edge portions and said band having overlapping portions comprising end portions, said end portions each having one set of fasteners, the set of fasteners in one end portion comprising a pair of parallel reinforced slitted portions, said slitted reinforced portions extending longitudinally of said band, said slitted portions being suitably spaced from each other andequally spaced from the end of said band, in combination with a series of tape fasteners arranged in a line longitudinally of said band and intermediate of said spaced slitted portions, said reinforced slitted portions being substantially equal in length to the distance between the most remote of said tape fasteners, said other end portion of said band having a hook secured thereto intermediate its edges and in line with said tape fasteners, said end portion having the hook being also provided with a pair of fasteners secured in spaced relation from each other a distance, at their point of securement, substantially equal to the distance between said reinforced slitted portions, said pair of fasteners having portions extending transversely of said band and adapted to pass through said reinforced slitted portions and slidably engage the edges thereof, said pair of fasteners being spaced from said hook a distance substantially equal to the distance between the most remote of said tape fasteners.

3. In a garment construction as set forth in claim 1 in which each tape fastener of the series extends transversely of the substantially centrally located longitudinal line of the band and being secured to said band by a piece of fabric forming a backing for said tape fasteners and having its longitudinal edges fold over the ends of said tape fasteners and both said tape fastener ends and said edges of said fabric be- 25 ing securely stitched to said band. 

